Just wondering where mostly settled in? It looks like WA economy is booming with lot of tech jobs out there. I've been considering WA,ID,CO & UT in that order.

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I haven't had the luck to win the DV Lottery, but in case I was selected. I would relocate to Texas, since I have family and very close friends living on that state. They are also several offices of companies that I have worked for in the past in Texas

I have a cousin in Seattle, WA,....so that's where I will most like go if I'm lucky to get an interview and a visa stamped on my passport. I don't know however if there is much industry there, and enough jobs in automation and robotics. Ideally, I'd rather live in the north-east, but common-sense tells me to settle, at least temporarily, where I have family and acquaintances to give me a hand, since the first days/months can be very tough.

Well I been to Washington and it's a beautiful state close by the ocean and the beautiful mountains. Housing and rent is ridiculously expensive there. Other than that it seem like amazing place. Oh only downside is the rain. And it rains and rains there..

Tech jobs there booming and very low unemployment, no tax on salaries but sales tax. Biggest problem is the crazy house prices and rent prices there..

Well I been to Washington and it's a beautiful state close by the ocean and the beautiful mountains. Housing and rent is ridiculously expensive there. Other than that it seem like amazing place. Oh only downside is the rain. And it rains and rains there..

Tech jobs there booming and very low unemployment, no tax on salaries but sales tax. Biggest problem is the crazy house prices and rent prices there..

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Yes, you tend to get high housing prices when jobs are booming...you want cheap housing you'll end up in places like Detroit where there are no jobs. It's not rocket science and it's not particularly American, it's logical: more jobs = more people = more demand for housing, higher paid jobs = people can afford to compete on price for the available housing.

Quite a few Aussie DV-ers end up here: low cost of living (going up now that Charlotte is booming) but high wages thanks to the Fortune 500s located here. Plus there's the Research Triangle in Raleigh / Durham / NC State.

Well I been to Washington and it's a beautiful state close by the ocean and the beautiful mountains. Housing and rent is ridiculously expensive there. Other than that it seem like amazing place. Oh only downside is the rain. And it rains and rains there..

Tech jobs there booming and very low unemployment, no tax on salaries but sales tax. Biggest problem is the crazy house prices and rent prices there..

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Yes, rent is high. He pays 1,300$ for a tiny studio. And it seems that Seattle is the 2nd least-sunny city in the US after Anchorage (This can drive some people crazy).
But for a left-leaning state (actually, it's one of the most liberal states), it's surprisingly well-run, business-friendly, with relatively low taxes, and relatively few restrictions.

Right now I'm not worried about my destination since I'm not even sure my number will go current. Thanks for your input (and for creating the topic), it may help other people at later stages of the DV journey.

Yes, you tend to get high housing prices when jobs are booming...you want cheap housing you'll end up in places like Detroit where there are no jobs. It's not rocket science and it's not particularly American, it's logical: more jobs = more people = more demand for housing, higher paid jobs = people can afford to compete on price for the available housing.

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There are plenty of jobs in Texas and Atlanta, GA to name just a few...and they're some of the cheapest places to live in the US. You're absolutely right about "job market", but you also have to consider other factors, like density and land availability (NYC area vs Houston Area), public services (public transportation and public infrastructures), social services (public housing and welfare for the poor), economic model (for ex: tourism raise housing price), and even politics (many policies raise living costs).

There are plenty of jobs in Texas and Atlanta, GA to name just a few...and they're some of the cheapest places to live in the US. You're absolutely right about "job market", but you also have to consider other factors, like density and land availability (NYC area vs Houston Area), public services (public transportation and public infrastructures), social services (public housing and welfare for the poor), economic model (for ex: tourism raise housing price), and even politics (many policies raise living costs).

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You're absolutely correct about having to "consider other factors". I could never live in Texas or Georgia. I'm very happy paying more to live somewhere that for me is the perfect place on almost every level.

(And of course it's largely different types of jobs in Austin and Atlanta vs Seattle, Denver, Bay Area etc...)

Also you should be sure why you are considering other factors. Is high population density just "bad!!!" because of rent competition and traffic? Or does it also mean a number of likely advantages, such as a more diverse population that's probably more immigrant friendly, often better schooling and tertiary education options, a vibrant cultural environment with museums, science centers and theaters, fun nightlife and restaurant options, etc etc? Living in a homogeneous rural environment is not everyone's cup of tea, even if it does get you a bigger backyard. (Obviously most places are on a continuum somewhere between extremes like manhattan and North Dakota and everyone needs to figure out what works best for them.)

You can also google "best states to live in", there's a bunch of different rankings using different criteria - maybe worth looking through them to figure out what criteria are most important for you and what is suggested as a result.

Also for some people it's important to have a large community from your home country. Something else to check on if that's something you desire.

well. i landed first time in Euless,tx where i have my relatives live there..im planning after couple of months to move permanent to US and i'll live in Arlington,Tx
i found it attractive place between 2 big cities and i think many options of work in these 2 cities. plus its small city more quite and safer than dallas and fort-worth or big cities in other states .i saw the houses rent there are great fare but the utilities are high price there.

another place i might go there but im not sure is iowa city where i have my uncle just moved there from fort-worth and hes telling me its a great place but so cold( which i dont prefer) and its starting to grow up where works are increasing there and still cheap along with quite, safe life there.

If I were to win, it would be Corvallis, OR. Other than that somewhere in the coastal area of OR. Somewhere between Corvallis and Newport should be OK.

I prefer to slow down while working on my own projects in the US (starting my own business and all) and maybe some online work. Already ordered my Cintiq Pro 13" as I want to slow down on 9-5 (although not really as a DBA, this job have a lot of long nights, all nighters and being on-call).

But that's it.

--edit--

Actually, my plan was to buy the cheapest land and put on it the cheapest manufactured home (one bathroom one bedroom 400 sqf thingy) and getmyself either truck camper, Hymer Active RV and travel the US. Which lead to my preference of online work/business.